I graduated with a degree in computer science and have worked in tech for over 10 years. When I started I was hopeful about getting to work on interesting things. I've gone from being resigned to being shoved into a niche to actively seeking to destroy that niche that women in tech are forced into.

It matters to me not only because tech is the place where I find myself truly at home but also because the tech industry has lauded itself for being the true meritocracy—a society of idealists where anyone and everyone is given a chance. Yet, discrimination is all around us. A few of us wrote an open letter about this:

"The last thing we want is for people reading this to be put on the defensive. What we want most is for people to read and understand what death by a thousand cuts feels like, and then understand why we feel sad and angry at the tech industry. We also want you to understand that more still needs to be done."

…There's an urgent need to provide safe spaces for women and people of color online. On the whole, I'm witnessing consistent conversation about discrimination and diversity. My hope is that these conversations lead to significant changes in team culture, demographics and how VCs choose to fund startups.

All eyes are on Silicon Valley. It would be amazing if this industry could lead the world in being an inclusive, safe, and healthy workplace for everyone. But what would that look like? I don't think we would know exactly how it would all evolve, but I thought if we described some of the aspects of such an ideal workplace, the following would be at the top of my lists.

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As an employee you need not be aggressive or competitive to be considered employable or promotable

I have often noticed that aggressive employees—whether they are good at their jobs or not—often get bigger pay raises or promotions because of the perception that aggression equals success. A lot of Silicon Valley industry thought leaders view and appreciate guiding principles laid down by war strategists over time. There is a pattern of violence that is endorsed and success has often been equated to someone else's failure.

If we were to celebrate diversity, we need empathy more than oppression of those who failed, and definitely not a celebration of those so-called victors who oppress the people they have won against.

Women and people of color would form at least 30% of executives

As board rooms become more diverse, there would be fewer endorsements of CEOs who have expressed violent subjugation or who have insulted a section of society in the past. This would also help set the tone for the rest of the company, sending a strong message about diversity across all layers of management.

Executives and VCs will be transparent and held accountable when their actions don't match up with the policies and philosophies they endorse

The number of thought leaders and executives who publicly endorse one thing and privately indulge in quite the opposite is laughably high. Many influential men in tech continue to privately inform female founders to find white male CEOs before coming to them for raising money. They publicly support gender equality while asking women in tech to "show their boobs" as a joke. This would no longer occur.

Executives and thought leaders will be held liable for their private and their public actions. Their well-intentioned public endorsements mean nothing when they indulge in actions that actively encourage discrimination.

We need more organizations to take swift actions to stop and reduce discriminatory behavior that gets revealed in public (like at Techweek Chicago). This would mean not just sincere apologies but actions that would ensure such discriminatory behavior will not occur again. Journalists will be vocal in their condemnation of such behavior and call out organizations that support people who indulge in such behavior.

Organizations found employing people who are discriminatory in their workplace or in public will be called out to improve their work environment. For example, Atlassian gave a great apology when one of their employees was found stereotyping women and reducing what they are capable of. However, they are yet to offer ways in which they will ensure this does not happen again. Firing an employee only makes the employee bitter and unable to understand how their behavior impacts everyone around them.

I have a suspicion that if Atlassian was a workplace that was healthy for women and people of color, this slide wouldn't even exist to begin with. Perhaps Atlassian could follow Google's approach and be open about their workplace diversity and the work they have to do to make it better? What about hosting classes for Girl Develop It, Black Girls Code, Girls Who Code, Trans*h4ck, and more? How about donating to organizations that are trying to create candidates for the workforce who are women and people of color? How about committing to interview the top students from these organizations (if not hire) and committing to having at least 30% of speakers who are women or people of color at conferences they organize?

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How can we get there?

I guess this all sounds good on paper. But how can we get there? None of us who wrote our open letter thought it would have such an impact. But it has, and I think that is a sign that many folks are unhappy with the status quo. I think we are at the beginning of change.

We need to do more, take more action. If you are someone who has wanted to break into the tech industry, take action! Now is the time.

There are many wonderful organizations helping women to learn how to code. (The listed ones above: Girl Develop It, Black Girls Code,Girls Who Code, and Trans*h4ck are only a few.) If you are already a woman in tech, volunteer your time with these organizations or at least talk about them to others so they can get volunteers and money to have a bigger impact.

If you just want to support the movement to end discrimination, be vocal about the discrimination you see. If you see men indulging in talk that stereotypes women ("yeah you are a woman you won't understand," "women are always looking to find men to trap," "women are so gossipy," and so on ) stop them, and inform them why you think this is not acceptable.

If you are working in a tech company, seek out groups that are working to make it better for women, and help them get there.

We can live in this ideal world, but we all need to take a small step forward.

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